Daijiworld Media Network - Udupi (JD/SP)

Udupi, Jun 6: It is alleged that three Dalit women who have been carrying on fish business in a petty shop at Brahmagiri circle in the city are being stopped from conducting their business.

A video on this issue has become viral on social video. The video shows the owner of the shop accusing the health inspector of harassing and pressurizing her to vacate the shop. A lady, Sushma Raj, has created a video on behalf of these women on Instagram and has demanded justice.

The three women had started this shop by raising loan running into lacs of rupees. The efforts being made to shunt them out has become the subject of dispute. Owners of the shop, Radha, Pramoda and Hemalata, have said that efforts are being made to evict them just because they belong to the Dalit community. The lady says that they have been conducting trade for a month here with permission from the city municipal corporation. But a health officer of the municipal corporation, Karunakar, repeatedly visits their shop and obstructs them from carrying out business, they say. Karunakar has been telling them that there are complaints against them and therefore they should not trade in fish there.

On Saturday, June 5, the health officials of the city municipal council who came there in the morning, also summoned a backhoe to demolish the shop. This gave rise to tense moments there. Municipal health officers could not be contacted for their response.

The women have since registered a Dalit atrocity case in the town police station here. Karunakar, the health officer, has also filed a complaint against the women.